Carlton Cole has said on talkSPORT (8:20am, November 9, 2021) that Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is ready to leave Ibrox and move to Aston Villa.
The former Celtic striker has said that Villa would be a good fit for Rangers boss Gerrard.
However, Cole is not sure if the Premier League club should appoint the former Liverpool manager.
The Daily Mail have reported that Villa have made Rangers boss Gerrard their number one managerial candidate to succeed Dean Smith.
Carlton Cole’s verdict
Cole said on talkSPORT (8:20am, November 9, 2021), as transcribed by The Scottish Sun: “Of course it’s going to be a great appointment for Gerrard. But I’m not sure it is for Villa but for Gerrard and his next step it is brilliant.
“He wants to get in the Premier League one day and it’s always a two-horse race in the Scottish Premiership.
“To challenge yourself, you need to come to the Premier League at some point and I think Aston Villa is a good fit for him to make that step.”
“If he does a good job he could go on, I know he wants to end up at Liverpool one day. But that’s the end game and he has to focus on that and be ready for that gig.”
Cole added: “He’s won the title up there, so how many more does he have to win to warrant a move to Aston Villa?
“I think he is ready and for him that’s the next stepping stone. He has to be able to take the risk and I don’t think Villa is a high risk.”
What should Steven Gerrard do?
Villa are a massive club and are established in the Premier League.
We can understand why the Villans would be tempting for Gerrard.
Or for any other manager, for that matter.
However, in our view, Gerrard should stay at Rangers.
For now.
Until the end of the season at least.
After all, the Liverpool legend – who earns £210,000 per month as salary at Rangers, according to Sportekz – has a job to do at Ibrox and should not do what Brendan Rodgers did at Celtic.
Rodgers stepped down at Celtic when Leicester City approached him back in February 2019.
Rangers won the Scottish Premiership title last season and are in a good position now to win it again this campaign.
Gerrard will get other opportunities.
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